The Best Harry Potter Souvenirs at Universal Orlando

We’ve all become accustomed to the common refrain of “the exit is through the gift shop” when leaving museums and other attractions, but our recent visit to Universal Orlando was my first experience where EVERY SINGLE RIDE has its own gift shop that you need to traverse before exiting. Wow, if you weren’t tempted to blow your vacation budget at the giant Universal store in the Universal CityWalk, you will surely be lured into making a purchase of some item showcasing your favorite character, especially with the wide selection of Harry Potter souvenirs.

The nice thing about these specialty gift shops is that it is easy to find anything and everything emblazoned with The Simpsons, Men in Black, The Cat in the Hat, and just about every Marvel superhero. Walking around Universal Orlando, I became convinced that there were more shops and restaurants than there were rides in the two theme parks.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the two Harry Potter Wizarding Worlds of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. In fact, shopping is a huge part of the experience, as you get to do what Harry Potter and his friends did in the books and movies – stock up on your magical gear.

We succumbed to the excitement and bought two sweatshirts and a couple of t-shirts (Griffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw — guess who is who?) Glenn considered something of a darker nature in Knockturn Alley’s Borgin and Burkes, like a Dark Mark temporary tattoo, escaped from Azkaban tshirt, or something Slytherin, but just couldn’t team with the Death Eaters.

We also picked up a couple of smaller souvenirs. I bought some postcards and Harry Potter stamps in Hogsmeade and had them stamped at the Owl Post before sending them off (by owl of course.) We bought a chocolate frog to share and somehow he made it all the way home to Rhode Island. But of everything we bought, the best Harry Potter souvenirs were the interactive wand and pgymy puff.

Best Harry Potter Gear to Buy Before you Go

Of course, when you are walking around The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you will see people with all kinds of Harry Potter paraphernalia that they bought before they arrived like t-shirts, special wands (like our light up one), jewelry and more. Since we are a major Harry Potter fan family, I’m always scouring Etsy for some fun gifts or things to bring on our trip to show our spirit. Here are some of my favorites:

The Best Harry Potter Souvenirs at Universal

Interactive Wands

A few years ago, we bought Hannah a very nice Hermoine wand at Barnes & Noble. It even lights up when you wave it – which came in very handy and attracted a lot of attention in Knockturn Alley where it was so dark. But despite bringing this perfectly good wand to the park, we knew we were going to get suckered into buying another at Ollivanders Wand Shop. As I’ve already written about, Ollivanders was our first stop in Hogsmeade and since we had been able to get into the park early, we were part of the first group to be ushered into Ollivanders for the first demonstration of the day. As the only kid to be outfitted in witch’s robes, Hannah was selected from the small audience to participate in the demonstration and “choose” a wand.

After she was paired with the correct wand, of course we had to buy it. But that is ok, I didn’t mind spending the $50 because this interactive wand provided two days of fun at Universal. The wands sold at the park are interactive, and come along with a map and instructions showing the location of interactive displays and the spells and wrist motions needed to activate them.

We steadfastly moved from medallion to medallion experimenting with spells. Some were much trickier than others and required multiple attempts. Luckily, in Hogsmeade across from Ollivanders, you can often find a trainer to help guide young witches and wizards on where to stand, where to point, and how to move their arm. It helps to know where the sensor is (sorry, did that just spoil the magic??), and use small wrist movements. Believe it or not, saying the spell is actually not required 😉 – but it definitely makes it more fun.

I put together a little video with some of the spells. I highly recommend getting this wand for all Harry Potter fans above anything else in the park. There was something quite magical about being able to actually perform spells! (You know what I mean.)

Pgymy Puffs

So excited to find pygmy puffs!

Keep reading because I’m not just talking about any Pygmy Puff. I’m talking about Pgymy Puffs purchased at Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley. If you aren’t familiar with what a pygmy puff is, it was those adorable puff balls that all the girls wanted at Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ginny got one and named it Arnold.

Based on the 10,000+ views on this video on Facebook, I’m guessing pygmy puffs are actually really popular with real girls too. At least, I know they were for mine. Luckily, we decided to get one at Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, because it seemed more authentic since that is where Ginny got hers. Well, every time someone adopts a pygmy puff for the first time at Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, the clerk goes through a naming ceremony. See for yourself…

The naming ceremony definitely made the experience special and makes the pygmy puff the second best Harry Potter souvenir to get at Universal Orlando.

Those were definitely our favorite souvenirs. The one bonus I’d add is that if you visit the Owl Post to purchase postcards, also pick up a “Howler.” (For those not familiar, these were the magical letters delivered by owl at Hogwarts, typically from your mom, screaming at you for something.) In the non-magical version, it is like one of those greeting cards that allow you to record your own message. I’m saving mine for if Hannah isn’t writing me letters from sleepaway camp next year. So Hannah, if you are reading this, you are warned…send those letters or you are getting a Howler sent to your bunk!! 🙂

About We3Travel

Welcome to We3Travel! We are the Grubers…Tamara, Glenn, and Hannah. Join us as we explore our home state of Rhode Island and the world. We share our best family travel tips, destination info, reviews, and itinerary suggestions that will make planning your next family vacation easier. Follow along if you like road trips, cultural exploring, soft adventure, and good food!